Here with another chapter. This memory takes place right after the second argument between Eren and Jean shown in the anime when Eren uses the move he copied from Annie to knock down our poor Jean, with some Marco thrown in there of course! As always, I love the reviews. Thanks!
I am absolutely livid. There are so many things I can't stand about Eren Jaeger I don't even know where to begin. Standing up from the dining hall floor where he just threw me down, I take myself to a seat quickly, trying to conceal the short struggle from our instructor who has just come through the door. Covering for us, Mikasa exclaims that the loud noise he heard was Sasha passing gas. I'm so furious I don't even join in the scattered giggles around the room as the dead-eyed instructor leaves and Sasha cries out to Mikasa in protest.
Looking up, I meet Eren's glare from across the table. After returning it for a few moments, I stand abruptly and return to my original seat. I turn left to make a remark to Marco, but he's missing. Glancing around the room, I fail to find him. The person sitting across from me is Connie, but his stupid responses will do nothing but irritate me further at this point. So I hunch over and continue to scarf down the rest of my food without speaking to anyone.
Soon the bell rings for us to leave, so I dump my dishes in the bin by the kitchen and lazily make my way to the exit. I take my time so that I'm the last one, because I just can't deal with anyone right now. I'm way too pissed off. As I leave the dining hall, I pause on the porch and stare ahead at the crowd of new soldiers slowly splitting in half as the genders return to their separate barracks. The last thing I want to do is join the other guys and have them rag on me about how easily Eren took me down. I don't even have an excuse. Yeah, he caught me off guard, but soldiers are always supposed to be on guard. Clenching my hands into fists, I exhale heavily in frustration and make my way off the porch.
"Jean," I hear a familiar and extremely friendly voice say. I turn and see Marco coming around the corner of the dining hall building, holding a cloth sack. I step off the last stair, now standing on the dirt. When he comes up to me, I notice with slight annoyance that he really is taller than me, even if it's just an inch or two. I shake my head slightly, trying to stop every little thing from getting me worked up.
"Here." Marco says, handing me the small sack. I take it wordlessly, confused for a moment until I feel cold seeping through the cloth.
"Ice?" I ask.
"Yeah. You fell pretty hard, and I don't want you to be hurting tomorrow during training. You want to be in your best shape." He says, giving me a concerned look. I roll my eyes and begin walking alongside him back to our barracks.
"He knocked me on my ass. Thanks, but I'm not going to walk in there holding an icepack on my ass Marco." I answer grimly, even though I am starting to feel some soreness. I'd rather die and let people know that what Eren did actually kind of hurt. Marco stares at me for a moment, looking a bit taken aback, but then he smiles wide.
"I understand." He says, taking the icepack from me. We are almost at the barracks, and we finish our walk wordlessly with Marco still sporting his goofy smile. What's weird about it though is that he doesn't bug me. If anyone else had come up and offered me ice, I probably would have knocked it on the ground or angrily proclaimed that I don't need or want it. Marco has this characteristic about him that keeps me calm though. I'm glad him and I are becoming friends. It makes me feel a bit guilty for hitting him jokingly on the back of the head and causing his drink to spill all over his face earlier right before Eren and I had our confrontation. He doesn't seem to mind though.
We're in the barracks now, and I'm wearing a scowl mean enough to ward off the tallest of titans. Nobody says a word to me, so my goal is achieved. How must Marco and I look right now? I look ready to kill the next person to cross my path, and he's wearing an expression that makes you expect a hug from him any minute. We're polar opposites, him and I.
"What's the ice for Marco?" Connie asks, walking alongside him for a few moments.
"I fell on my elbow earlier today, and during dinner it started feeling a little more sore than I anticipated." He answers swiftly. Connie nods and pats him on the shoulder.
"Hope it feels better in the morning man. See you." He says, breaking off to go flop onto his bed. A few more steps and we're at our bunk. Marco hops up into his bunk gracefully once again, taking the icepack with him. After taking off my boots, I ease myself under my covers, taking note of the dull pain starting to form on my bottom. It makes me feel a bit bad for rejecting Marco's offer, and a bit stupid because I know it'll really bug me in the morning.
I close my eyes before the lights are even out, tuning out the scattered voices of the other boys as they make their way into their own beds. I just want this frustrating day to be over already. Everything would be fine if that Eren wasn't here. He annoys me to no end with his false proclamations and promises. He doesn't know the first thing about killing titans, and he's telling everyone he's going to wipe them out. What a joke. At least I'm realistic, which is what he hates about me. He hates that I don't take his crap seriously and dote on his fake words of encouragement and bravery. I just want to live long enough to actually say I've lived.
The brightness from the other side of my eyelids disappears and I know it's lights out. Just as I'm about to roll over, something drops onto my stomach. I gasp quietly in surprise and grab whatever it is. When I feel the cold fabric again, I immediately realize it's the icepack that Marco had. I look up and can just make out the silhouette of his head hanging over the side of his bed.
"Don't be stubborn." He whispers before disappearing. I can't help but smirk at his kindness. What a funny guy. Maybe that's okay though. It's not bad to have someone watching out for you. Smiling to myself, I reach down and set the cool bag against the sore spot on my bottom, and I have to admit it feels a lot better.